As known, plastic containers can be manufactured out of preforms in a blow molding process.
As an alternative to inflating the containers with pressurized air, the EP 1529620 B1 describes a process for hydraulic reshaping of preforms into plastic bottles. For this purpose, the preforms are at first heated, brought into a hollow mold and stretched there in a longitudinal direction. Further, a fluid or the like is added in order to produce the final container shape. The fluid corresponds to the liquid remaining in the container and consequently remains in the container so that a subsequent separate bottling process can be omitted.
The US 2011/0031659 A1 further describes a process in which a heated preform is stretched by means of a stretching rod and subsequently dilated hydraulically into a container by means of an incompressible fluid, in particular water. Afterwards, the fluid is displaced by pressurized air and flows out of the container.
A form-filling machine, according to its definition, comprises at least one treatment station for the expanding reshaping process of plastic preforms into plastic containers in a hollow mold and for filling a substantially liquid product or at least a liquid or solid component of the products into the plastic containers.
Liquids, even those that contain dissolved carbon dioxide or the like, are, by definition and with regard to their function during molding and filling of the containers, incompressible fluids in contrast to gases that are functionally defined as compressible fluids.
After molding and filling of the containers with the product in the treatment station, a filled container has to be transported out of the carousel. Discharge systems according to the state of the art work with a traditional transfer star wheel. A partition delay star wheel can also be used as an alternative. Due to the extensive partition and the related speed, the problem of the product slopping over during the transfer and/or shortly after the transfer into the discharge star wheel has a stronger relevance compared to a traditional filling machine outlet.